Description
Throughout the world, members of the LGBTQ community continue to struggle for their rights. In some countries, they have made some progress. In 2016, 20 countries legally recognized marriage for same-sex couples (Human Rights Campaign, 2016). However, in other countries, the LGBTQ community faces much greater obstacles, and the consequences of fighting for basic rights are grave for both LGBTQ individuals and allies. Being gay is a crime punishable by death in 10 countries and is illegal in a total of 73 countries (Human Rights Campaign, 2016). Because of the violence and social exclusion experienced globally, LGBTQ individuals may seek refugee status because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression (UN High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2016).
To prepare: Read the United Nations Address on Global LGBT Rights by Hilary Clinton.
Submit a 2 to 4 page detailed explanation of your reaction to this essay. Then, explain why, in the context of practicing social work in North America, it is important for us to acknowledge and address sexual orientation and gender diversity of marginalized populations across the world. Explain the role of social workers on an international level in relation to the rights of the LGBTQ community. Identify specific skills and actions you would employ as an advocate.
Reference
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Protecting Persons with Diverse Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities: A Global Report on UNHCR’s Efforts to Protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Asylum-Seekers and Refugees, December 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/566140454.html [accessed 7 October 2017]
Hilary Clinton United Nations Transcript
CLINTON: Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure
at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden
along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners.
This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one
of the great accomplishments of the last century.
Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to
drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and
freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many
nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would
prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all
people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote,
they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they
incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations,
and individuals around the world.
At three o’clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two
years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN
General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations
voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful
idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And
with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by
government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what
country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we
are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights,
governments are bound to protect them.
In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have
made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step,
barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of
liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have
fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and
social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been
abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has
been secured.
In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and
organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change
not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of
generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by
injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully
in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.
Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that
commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk
about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose
human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many
ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized,
even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow
citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or,
too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and
learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or
deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.
I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human
beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right
to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of
our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country’s record
on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a
crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured
violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many
young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all
nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.
Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the
obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT
people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs.
So I come here before you with respect, understanding, and humility. Even
though progress on this front is not easy, we cannot delay acting. So in that
spirit, I want to talk about the difficult and important issues we must
address together to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human
rights of LGBT citizens everywhere.
The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that
gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are
one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that
drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not
thinking about how it applied to the LGBT community. They also weren’t
thinking about how it applied to indigenous people or children or people
with disabilities or other marginalized groups. Yet in the past 60 years, we
have come to recognize that members of these groups are entitled to the
full measure of dignity and rights, because, like all people, they share a
common humanity.
This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it
did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had,
rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman,
like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not
make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and
human rights are gay rights.
It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of
their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms
about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of
human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those
who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights
when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called
corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when
people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when
they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save
their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is
withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is
denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds
to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we
come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights
and dignity.
The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a
particular part of the world. Some seem to believe it is a Western
phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West have grounds to
reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every
society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors
and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we
know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and
our neighbors.
Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting
the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only
Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the
aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay
people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally
protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to
LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new
legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.
Now, some worry that protecting the human rights of the LGBT community
is a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford. But in fact, in all countries,
there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives
lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that
would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs
who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated
as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious
minorities, or the LGBT. Former President Mogae of Botswana pointed out
recently that for as long as LGBT people are kept in the shadows, there
cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS. Well,
that holds true for other challenges as well.
The third, and perhaps most challenging, issue arises when people cite
religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the
human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for
violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or
female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part
of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn’t cultural; it’s criminal.
Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now
properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights.
In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition
trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for
inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior,
expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly
accepting their killing.
Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and
teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed,
our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration
toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified
slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it.
And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of
religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common
source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of
meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And
likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also
vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an
expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human
experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all
religions and cultures.
The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress
towards rights for all. Progress starts with honest discussion. Now, there
are some who say and believe that all gay people are pedophiles, that
homosexuality is a disease that can be caught or cured, or that gays recruit
others to become gay. Well, these notions are simply not true. They are
also unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are
dismissed out of hand rather than invited to share their fears and concerns.
No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.
Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of
belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet,
while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do
whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of
all.
Reaching understanding of these issues takes more than speech. It does
take a conversation. In fact, it takes a constellation of conversations in
places big and small. And it takes a willingness to see stark differences in
belief as a reason to begin the conversation, not to avoid it.
But progress comes from changes in laws. In many places, including my
own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader
recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect. Laws that discriminate
validate other kinds of discrimination. Laws that require equal protections
reinforce the moral imperative of equality. And practically speaking, it is
often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.
Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave
error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued
that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn’t until he went ahead
and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even
the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in
my country that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative
effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was
one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were
unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change.
Finally, progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else’s
shoes. We need to ask ourselves, “How would it feel if it were a crime to
love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for
something about myself that I cannot change?” This challenge applies to all
of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace
tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage
humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater
understanding.
A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to
embrace human rights for all people including LGBT people. Yes, LGBT
people must help lead this effort, as so many of you are. Their knowledge
and experiences are invaluable and their courage inspirational. We know
the names of brave LGBT activists who have literally given their lives for
this cause, and there are many more whose names we will never know. But
often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the
changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the
majorities necessary for political change.
So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the
sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a
cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for
women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial
equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combating
Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a task for people of all faiths. And the
same is true with this struggle for equality.
Conversely, when we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to
act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won’t
suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when
we do act, we send a powerful moral message. Right here in Geneva, the
international community acted this year to strengthen a global consensus
around the human rights of LGBT people. At the Human Rights Council in
March, 85 countries from all regions supported a statement calling for an
end to criminalization and violence against people because of their sexual
orientation and gender identity.
At the following session of the Council in June, South Africa took the lead
on a resolution about violence against LGBT people. The delegation from
South Africa spoke eloquently about their own experience and struggle for
human equality and its indivisibility. When the measure passed, it became
the first-ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of gay people
worldwide. In the Organization of American States this year, the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights created a unit on the rights of
LGBT people, a step toward what we hope will be the creation of a special
rapporteur.
Now, we must go further and work here and in every region of the world to
galvanize more support for the human rights of the LGBT community. To
the leaders of those countries where people are jailed, beaten, or executed
for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means
being out in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up
for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the
same. It also means ensuring that all citizens are treated as equals under
your laws, because let me be clear — I am not saying that gay people can’t
or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people. And
when they do, they should be held accountable, but it should never be a
crime to be gay.
And to people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your
responsibility too. The lives of gay people are shaped not only by laws, but
by the treatment they receive every day from their families, from their
neighbors. Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights
worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home —
the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms,
and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions
you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human
rights flourish where you are.
And finally, to LGBT men and women worldwide, let me say this: Wherever
you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are
connected to a network of support or feel isolated and vulnerable, please
know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to
support you and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face.
That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United
States of America and you have millions of friends among the American
people.
The Obama Administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as
part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our
foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about
specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen
human rights protections for all. In Washington, we have created a task
force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work. And in
the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help
improve their efforts. And we have created a program that offers
emergency support to defenders of human rights for LGBT people.
This morning, back in Washington, President Obama put into place the first
U.S. Government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses
against LGBT persons abroad. Building on efforts already underway at the
State Department and across the government, the President has directed
all U.S. Government agencies engaged overseas to combat the
criminalization of LGBT status and conduct, to enhance efforts to protect
vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers, to ensure that our foreign
assistance promotes the protection of LGBT rights, to enlist international
organizations in the fight against discrimination, and to respond swiftly to
abuses against LGBT persons.
I am also pleased to announce that we are launching a new Global Equality
Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on
these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they
can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their
budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s
organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more
than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us
in supporting it.
The women and men who advocate for human rights for the LGBT
community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are
brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know
the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But
many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our
lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been
transformed. Many people, including myself, have experienced a
deepening of our own convictions on this topic over the years, as we have
devoted more thought to it, engaged in dialogues and debates, and
established personal and professional relationships with people who are
gay.
This evolution is evident in many places. To highlight one example, the
Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in India two years ago,
writing, and I quote, “If there is one tenet that can be said to be an
underlying theme of the Indian constitution, it is inclusiveness.” There is
little doubt in my mind that support for LGBT human rights will continue to
climb. Because for many young people, this is simple: All people deserve to
be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter
who they are or whom they love.
There is a phrase that people in the United States invoke when urging
others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of history.” The story
of the United States is the story of a nation that has repeatedly grappled
with intolerance and inequality. We fought a brutal civil war over slavery.
People from coast to coast joined in campaigns to recognize the rights of
women, indigenous peoples, racial minorities, children, people with
disabilities, immigrants, workers, and on and on. And the march toward
equality and justice has continued. Those who advocate for expanding the
circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history
honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and
history reflects that as well.
I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which
opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before,
opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all
persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called
once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us
answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our
nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we
do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter
how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together. Thank you
very much. (Applause.)
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
CLINTON: Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure
at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden
along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners.
This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one
of the great accomplishments of the last century.
Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to
drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and
freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many
nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would
prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all
people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote,
they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they
incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations,
and individuals around the world.
At three o’clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two
years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN
General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations
voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful
idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And
with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by
government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what
country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we
are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights,
governments are bound to protect them.
In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have
made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step,
barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of
liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have
fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and
social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been
abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has
been secured.
In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and
organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change
not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of
generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by
injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully
in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.
Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that
commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk
about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose
human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many
ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized,
even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow
citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or,
too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and
learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or
deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.
I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human
beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right
to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of
our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country’s record
on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a
crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured
violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many
young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all
nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.
Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the
obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT
people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs.
So I come here before you with respect, understanding, and humility. Even
though progress on this front is not easy, we cannot delay acting. So in that
spirit, I want to talk about the difficult and important issues we must
address together to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human
rights of LGBT citizens everywhere.
The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that
gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are
one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that
drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not
thinking about how it applied to the LGBT community. They also weren’t
thinking about how it applied to indigenous people or children or people
with disabilities or other marginalized groups. Yet in the past 60 years, we
have come to recognize that members of these groups are entitled to the
full measure of dignity and rights, because, like all people, they share a
common humanity.
This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it
did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had,
rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman,
like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not
make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and
human rights are gay rights.
It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of
their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms
about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of
human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those
who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights
when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called
corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when
people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when
they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save
their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is
withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is
denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds
to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we
come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights
and dignity.
The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a
particular part of the world. Some seem to believe it is a Western
phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West have grounds to
reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every
society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors
and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we
know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and
our neighbors.
Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting
the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only
Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the
aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay
people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally
protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to
LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new
legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.
Now, some worry that protecting the human rights of the LGBT community
is a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford. But in fact, in all countries,
there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives
lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that
would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs
who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated
as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious
minorities, or the LGBT. Former President Mogae of Botswana pointed out
recently that for as long as LGBT people are kept in the shadows, there
cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS. Well,
that holds true for other challenges as well.
The third, and perhaps most challenging, issue arises when people cite
religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the
human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for
violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or
female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part
of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn’t cultural; it’s criminal.
Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now
properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights.
In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition
trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for
inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior,
expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly
accepting their killing.
Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and
teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed,
our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration
toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified
slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it.
And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of
religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common
source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of
meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And
likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also
vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an
expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human
experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all
religions and cultures.
The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress
towards rights for all. Progress starts with honest discussion. Now, there
are some who say and believe that all gay people are pedophiles, that
homosexuality is a disease that can be caught or cured, or that gays recruit
others to become gay. Well, these notions are simply not true. They are
also unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are
dismissed out of hand rather than invited to share their fears and concerns.
No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.
Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of
belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet,
while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do
whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of
all.
Reaching understanding of these issues takes more than speech. It does
take a conversation. In fact, it takes a constellation of conversations in
places big and small. And it takes a willingness to see stark differences in
belief as a reason to begin the conversation, not to avoid it.
But progress comes from changes in laws. In many places, including my
own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader
recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect. Laws that discriminate
validate other kinds of discrimination. Laws that require equal protections
reinforce the moral imperative of equality. And practically speaking, it is
often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.
Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave
error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued
that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn’t until he went ahead
and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even
the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in
my country that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative
effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was
one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were
unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change.
Finally, progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else’s
shoes. We need to ask ourselves, “How would it feel if it were a crime to
love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for
something about myself that I cannot change?” This challenge applies to all
of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace
tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage
humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater
understanding.
A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to
embrace human rights for all people including LGBT people. Yes, LGBT
people must help lead this effort, as so many of you are. Their knowledge
and experiences are invaluable and their courage inspirational. We know
the names of brave LGBT activists who have literally given their lives for
this cause, and there are many more whose names we will never know. But
often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the
changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the
majorities necessary for political change.
So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the
sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a
cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for
women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial
equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combating
Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a task for people of all faiths. And the
same is true with this struggle for equality.
Conversely, when we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to
act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won’t
suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when
we do act, we send a powerful moral message. Right here in Geneva, the
international community acted this year to strengthen a global consensus
around the human rights of LGBT people. At the Human Rights Council in
March, 85 countries from all regions supported a statement calling for an
end to criminalization and violence against people because of their sexual
orientation and gender identity.
At the following session of the Council in June, South Africa took the lead
on a resolution about violence against LGBT people. The delegation from
South Africa spoke eloquently about their own experience and struggle for
human equality and its indivisibility. When the measure passed, it became
the first-ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of gay people
worldwide. In the Organization of American States this year, the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights created a unit on the rights of
LGBT people, a step toward what we hope will be the creation of a special
rapporteur.
Now, we must go further and work here and in every region of the world to
galvanize more support for the human rights of the LGBT community. To
the leaders of those countries where people are jailed, beaten, or executed
for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means
being out in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up
for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the
same. It also means ensuring that all citizens are treated as equals under
your laws, because let me be clear — I am not saying that gay people can’t
or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people. And
when they do, they should be held accountable, but it should never be a
crime to be gay.
And to people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your
responsibility too. The lives of gay people are shaped not only by laws, but
by the treatment they receive every day from their families, from their
neighbors. Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights
worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home —
the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms,
and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions
you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human
rights flourish where you are.
And finally, to LGBT men and women worldwide, let me say this: Wherever
you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are
connected to a network of support or feel isolated and vulnerable, please
know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to
support you and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face.
That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United
States of America and you have millions of friends among the American
people.
The Obama Administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as
part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our
foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about
specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen
human rights protections for all. In Washington, we have created a task
force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work. And in
the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help
improve their efforts. And we have created a program that offers
emergency support to defenders of human rights for LGBT people.
This morning, back in Washington, President Obama put into place the first
U.S. Government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses
against LGBT persons abroad. Building on efforts already underway at the
State Department and across the government, the President has directed
all U.S. Government agencies engaged overseas to combat the
criminalization of LGBT status and conduct, to enhance efforts to protect
vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers, to ensure that our foreign
assistance promotes the protection of LGBT rights, to enlist international
organizations in the fight against discrimination, and to respond swiftly to
abuses against LGBT persons.
I am also pleased to announce that we are launching a new Global Equality
Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on
these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they
can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their
budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s
organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more
than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us
in supporting it.
The women and men who advocate for human rights for the LGBT
community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are
brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know
the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But
many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our
lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been
transformed. Many people, including myself, have experienced a
deepening of our own convictions on this topic over the years, as we have
devoted more thought to it, engaged in dialogues and debates, and
established personal and professional relationships with people who are
gay.
This evolution is evident in many places. To highlight one example, the
Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in India two years ago,
writing, and I quote, “If there is one tenet that can be said to be an
underlying theme of the Indian constitution, it is inclusiveness.” There is
little doubt in my mind that support for LGBT human rights will continue to
climb. Because for many young people, this is simple: All people deserve to
be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter
who they are or whom they love.
There is a phrase that people in the United States invoke when urging
others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of history.” The story
of the United States is the story of a nation that has repeatedly grappled
with intolerance and inequality. We fought a brutal civil war over slavery.
People from coast to coast joined in campaigns to recognize the rights of
women, indigenous peoples, racial minorities, children, people with
disabilities, immigrants, workers, and on and on. And the march toward
equality and justice has continued. Those who advocate for expanding the
circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history
honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and
history reflects that as well.
I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which
opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before,
opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all
persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called
once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us
answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our
nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we
do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter
how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together. Thank you
very much. (Applause.)
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
Categories: